Dead West: DVD Review
Arriving on DVD this week is writer/director Jeff Ferrell’s “Dead West” starring Jeffrey Arrington (“Vicious”), Brian Sutherland (“Fat Kids Rule the World”), Meagan Karimi-Naser (“Job Hunters”), and Aurelio Voltaire (“ABCs of Death 2”). This thriller about serial-killer traveling from town-to-town killing women who disappoint him is a bit uneven yet manages to entertain.
The Ladykiller (Sutherland) changes his name each time he stops into a new town. He has no trouble attracting women, but it doesn’t take long for them to say something that he doesn’t agree with. When that happens, he dispatches with them and moves on to the next.
Tony (Arrington) is the brother of one of the victims and he is following the trail of bodies in hopes of finding the man who killed his sister. Things might also be changing for the Ladykiller after he meets Roxy (Karimi-Naser). She is an escort with a heart of gold and may be the one that ends the Ladykiller’s killing streak.
The film’s title and cover art is quite misleading. I was expecting a revenge flick set in the west, but it’s actually a serial killer movie set in what seems to be the Bay Area (though I could be wrong). Regardless, those details didn’t affect my feelings towards “Dead West”. It is actually Sutherland and Karimi-Naser who help make the film watchable. Thankfully Arrington has limited screen-time because his performance here is just plain dull.
If you are looking for a decent indie thriller, then “Dead West” isn’t a bad selection. It may not be worth purchasing on DVD, but it’s worth a rental or stream for fans of the genre.
By: Marc Ferman